4th of July...Why Fireworks and were can you watch them?

So, have you ever wondered why we light off fireworks on the 4th of July? You probably haven't....but now you want to know! Well here is brief explanation to answer the question that I have just created in your mind!  Along with a list of spots that will be having fireworks this 4th of July season!

Since its inception in July 1777, fireworks have been an integral feature of the United States' Independence Day celebrations, which commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. However, such event occurred during the Revolutionary War, when explosions, artillery fire, and "bombs bursting in air" were not exactly cause for joy and celebration. So, why did Americans start using fireworks to commemorate their country's independence?

Many people cite John Adams' letter to his wife, Abigail, informing her of the Continental Congress's declaration of independence: "[This day] ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

Pyrotechnics, on the other hand, were already a common way of celebrating and offering thanks, especially to commemorate national victories and the restoration of peace, and John Adams had little to do with it. Hundreds of years of royal spectacle eventually led to fireworks becoming a key component of Independence Day festivities in the United States.

The employment of fireworks in romantic combat performances and extravagant pageants and plays, generally linked with national festivals, evolved into the joyous display of fireworks we know today. The earliest known use of fireworks during a national celebration was at England's King Henry VII's wedding in 1486, and his wife's coronation in 1487 featured a fire-breathing dragon, which became prominent in royal fireworks displays during the Tudor rule. Queen Elizabeth I (reigned 1558–1603) was so fond of pyrotechnics that she appointed a royal "Fire Master of England" to oversee displays. Following the failure of Robert Catesby's Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament, fireworks were used locally in an annual celebration of the incident known as Fireworks Night. By the 18th century, exhibitions in Europe had become extremely lavish, in proportion to the affluence of kings like King Louis XIV and Peter the Great. By the time of the American Revolution, spectacular fireworks displays had already established themselves as a popular means to commemorate national prosperity and patriotism

Click here to see where there will be fireworks near you (courtesy of Charlotte on the Cheap).